Halloween is associated with a great number of symbols. Any of them can be included into a Halloween logo due to which it is represented by an array of designs.
We are used to carving demonic faces out of pumpkins but there were times when other vegetables were used. The history of Jack-o’-Lanterns goes back to ancient times.
There is an Irish legend about a man whose name was Jack. He tricked the Devil himself. So when the man died, neither God allowed him to enter heaven nor the Devil let him into the belly of hell. There was nothing else left for him as to wander around the world. In Ireland people were often scared by a light glimmering over peat bogs and believed it was Jack’s wandering soul. They started carving faces with a devilish grin out of turnips. They put them around their homes in the hope that they would frighten the spirit away.
Later such frightening lanterns became associated with Halloween. The holiday arose from Samhain, a Celtic festival celebrating the beginning of a new year. In those times it was on November 1. People believed that it was the time when souls of the dead visited their homes. This fact explains the meaning of all the Halloween symbols ‒ mystery, magic and death.
In the 8th century the Roman Catholic Church incorporated the Celtic traditions as well as the Irish folklore about Jack into All Saints’ Day (or Halloween).
When Irish immigrants arrived in America, they began using pumpkins to make Jack-o’-Lanterns, as they were in abundance there. It was also much easier to scoop out a pumpkin than a turnip.
Nowadays the Jack-o’-Lantern design is the most popular idea for Halloween emblems. Faces can be monstrous, comical or cheerful.
Pumpkin logos are more often in orange and black as these are the most popular traditional colors for Halloween. Besides being the color of a pumpkin, orange symbolizes life and positive change. Black means mystery, magic and the unknown.
People couple Halloween with various symbols. They are a skull, a bat, a witch, a black cat, a spider, a skeleton, an owl … The array of iconic items for Halloween wouldn’t be complete without a pumpkin, or Jack-o’-Lantern as it is usually called.
A Halloween logo may feature any of Halloween symbols. There are Halloween emblems with witches, bats, cats and so on. But the most traditional one is considered to be a pumpkin logo.